Wrexham’s Plaid Cymru group set to boycott Mayor Making ceremony and buffet

Plaid Cymru councillors have said they will not be attending Wrexham Council’s ‘Mayor Making’ on Tuesday.

Andy Williams, councillor for Garden Village and a member of the independent group, is set to be formally elected as Mayor on Tuesday. The ‘Mayor Making’ ceremony is a fixture on the Civic calendar, and after the Deputy Mayor is appointed the meeting traditionally breaks for a social gathering (with a now famous ‘buffet‘) and the main business of the meeting then taking place in effectively a second meeting the day after where the Council Leader and Deputy Leader are elected.

Last year the Mayor Making meeting was another shambolic affair, at least from the public view, with a hint of what was to come over in a dispute on how Mayors are selected.

The well documented dispute over the nomination process is referenced in a statement from the Wrexham Plaid Cymru group, who have announced they will not be at the meeting on Tuesday.

In a statement they said: “We regret that we are unable to attend because it is an important day for the incoming mayor Andy Williams, who we wish all the best in his forthcoming term, and a chance to say thanks to the outgoing mayor, Brian Cameron.

“However, the mayoral role – which is meant to be the highest civic honour rather than a political gift – has become tainted by the actions of the ruling coalition. Four mayoral nominations in recent years have been councillors who have joined the ruling Independent group after being elected.

“The perception is that the mayoralty is in the gift of the ruling coalition rather than being bestowed impartially on the basis of long service and seniority. It undermines the role and reflects badly on the council as a whole.

“As a result, we will not be taking part in this mayor-making process but do give our full backing to Cllr Andy Williams and his new deputy, Cllr Beryl Blackmore.

“We would also like the council to review the way the annual council meeting is held.

“Tradition had dictated that the Tuesday meeting is always adjourned after the mayor is elected for a buffet and then the meeting is reconvened a day later to complete the business of the annual meeting. Do we really need two meetings with the extra work and cost for officers?”

Wrexham.com has previously queried the cost of the buffet, and if it was procured locally. Last year a spokesperson told us the budget was £7.50 per head and “is only ordered for those who have indicated they will be attending”, and consisted of “sandwiches, wraps, savouries, fruit platter, cakes, orange juice, tea or coffee”, and was put together in-house by the WCBC school meal service team. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​